500 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215
617-933-5000
The freshly opened Island Creek Oyster Bar, adjacent to the Hotel Commonwealth, is a one-of-a-kind collaboration bringing together the culinary talent of chef Jeremy Sewall; the front-of-house genius of Garrett Harker; and the oyster farm know-how of Island Creek Oysters' Skip Bennett. Their collective efforts have yielded a sleek, high-energy oyster bar and seafood restaurant dedicated to highlighting the best of New England's local purveyors, ingredients and talent.
The menu leans heavily to seafood with plenty of classic preparations alongside more daring dishes - and of course, lots of oysters (12-18 varieties daily). For diners who prefer their meal to have had its feet planted firmly on solid ground - there are plenty of plates that won't leave them wanting. The bar program, developed by the team behind the bar at sister restaurant Eastern Standard, is top-notch, whether you're in the mood for wine, a beer or craft cocktails.
Taking inspiration from the Island Creek Oyster farm, the restaurant brings a little slice of laidback Duxbury life right to the heart of the city with Gabion cages filled with tens of thousands of Island Creek oyster shells; reclaimed Wyoming snow fences used to create window shutters: and an oversized photograph of the Duxbury Bay tidal flats.
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A native of upstate New York, Chef Jeremy Sewall spent his childhood summers in Maine with family feasting on lobsters, clams, chowders and other New England specialties.
After graduating from the esteemed Culinary Institute of America with honors, Sewall returned to Maine and worked at the White Barn Inn, in Kennebunkport, a Relais and Chateau property. The European values of the Inn made his move to Europe a natural one. After working in various restaurants in London and Amsterdam, he returned to Boston and began working at the famed L'Espalier, known for their exacting standards and classic French applications.
A stint as an Executive Sous Chef for a Fortune five hundred company's executive dining room and Sewall was off to the West Coast, where he was immediately recognized for his technique and passion by Bradley Ogden, the Chef-owner of Lark Creek Inn, in Larkspur, California. Hired as Sous Chef, he was quickly promoted to Chef in 1999.
In 2000, just one year after his promotion to Chef at the Lark Creek Inn, Sewall was one of five chefs across the country to be nominated as a Rising Star Chef in America by the James Beard Foundation.
He moved back to the East Coast to open Great Bay restaurant in Boston as Executive Chef where he and the restaurant garnered many accolades from The New York Times, Esquire, Gourmet and The Boston Globe.
He left Great Bay to follow the dream of opening his own restaurant. In late February 2006, Sewall and his wife Lisa, a former pastry chef at L'Espalier, opened Lineage in Brookline, Massachusetts. Their appreciation for fresh ingredients and personal approach to modern American cuisine are always on display at Lineage. The restaurant has been recognized by Bon Appetit, Boston Magazine and other top publications.
In 2009, Sewall's friendship with Eastern Standard owner Garrett Harker led to a stint as Collaborating Chef of the heralded Kenmore Sq. hot spot. In 2010, they teamed up with Skip Bennett, the founder of Island Creek Oysters, to bring the Island Creek Oyster Bar to the city of Boston. ICOB is dedicated to celebrating the diversity of New England Seafood and the passion of the people who bring it to us. For Jeremy Sewall, it's in his blood.
